Structure Of The Week

The Romans developed a reputation for building roads in straight lines regardless of the natural obstacles in front of them but even they baulked at mountains. The Chinese, though, have taken an even more ruthless approach.

About 92% of Guizhou, an inland province in south western China, is made up of mountains and cliffs which makes completing infrastructure projects a major challenge. Take the Guizhou Lu’an Expressway which already boasts the world’s highest bridge, the Huajiang Canyon Bridge, which crosses the Beipan river as it passes through the deep Huaijang Canyon and measures 625 metres from the bridge deck to the gorge’s bottom.

However, the section leading up to the bridge is impressive in its own right as a feat of engineering. Instead of drilling towers through mountains or building the road around them, the engineers took the bold step of slicing off the face of the mountain that was in the way. It makes for great pictures but, not unnaturally, many people are rightly upset that the natural landscape has been treated in such a cavalier fashion.

We all want to get from A to B as conveniently as possible but at what cost? Food for thought, indeed.